In the book of Shemot we learn of the mitzvah of Pidyon Petter Chamor-Redemption of the firstborn donkey:

Shemot 34:20 And the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. All the first-born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty.

Part of the concept of redeeming a donkey, which represents an animal with no sanctity or holiness, implies that even the lowest can be redeemed, and transformed into something better than itself and thus deserving life, in this case, via the redemption process with a sheep.

This particular ceremony was performed on Thursday in the town of Beit Shemesh.

On Monday, Major Shraga Dahan, an IDF officer and Chabad Rabbi serving in the IDF Rabbinate, went to make a Shiva call (visit a mourner) to a Chabad family in Beit Shemesh. He made the visit along with Chabad Rabbi Yehuda Yuroslavsky, in the Chareidi section of Beit Shemesh, according to Chabad Online.

Rabbi Dahan is the Rabbi of the Tel HaShomer base.

Upon leaving the Shiva house (house of mourning), a number of extremists surrounded the two on Beit Hanasi Street, and began cursing them, throwing items at them and telling them to leave.

Other Chareidi residents in the area tried to chase the extremist hooligans away, but without success.

On Yom HaShoah, a Chareidi soldier in the Chareidi Nachal unit was also cursed and spit on in the same area by a group of Chareidi extremist hooligans.

The Chareidi soldier said, “It wasn’t pleasant, but I am proud of what I do,” adding that “most of the Chareidi population are not like this [anti-IDF].”